Twin Heroes
by Spawn of Nerdom
Summary: When a pair of twins emerge from the sewers of New York, they weren't expecting anything good. Especially not something like a second chance.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own nor claim Avengers

**Notes: **This story does have my OC's, Alex and Axel, and I did used to have their origin story on here by the same title, but this is a remake, so enjoy!

**Twin Heroes**

**Chapter 1-Freedom**

**Third Person:**

23 and 24 sparred as Ringleader watched, looking for any mistakes they make. If they did, more punishment. If they didn't, more training. She wanted to make their fighting skills perfect.

Ringleader was a skrull, a shape shifting alien, who preferred to dress like the master of a circus. She even had the whip. She came as a scout of her kind to see how easy this world would fall to them. It _was _easy, but then these 'heroes' showed up. What's worse was they actually formed a team, and everything went to hell. That was seven years ago. She knew the twins, 23 and 24, hated her. Why wouldn't they? She pretty much tortured them, and killed their precious students. Humans...

23 glanced at Ringleader as she bent backwards to avoid being kicked by her brother.

_"Now can we do it? This is pointless," _23 told her brother mentally. He nodded his head slightly, and 23 launched herself towards him, hands outstretched. He grabbed them and launched his sister towards Ringleader, who had no time to react as 23's feet connected with her face. She grabbed Ringleader by her shirt collar and threw her against the opposite wall and followed behind 24, who was already half way through the long hallway.

They had known they were underground the entire time. Their was no sunlight. Granted, they didn't even know what sunlight looked like, but there was never any natural light. Only one tiny light bulb that hung from the ceiling. But they knew what the sun was. They knew what everything was. They had been made as the perfect weapon, and these weapons needed unlimited knowledge.

_"This way!" _24 yelled in her head. She nodded and turned the corner, following at her brother's tail. Yeah, that's right-tail.

Each twin had red-orange fur with dirty blonde hair at unimaginable lengths. They each had fangs claws, and emerald eyes that pierced the person they were looking at when they got to mad. 23 had a cougars tail while 24 had a lions, and her wings were a mysterious midnight blue, unlike her brother's, which were a gun metal black.

"Now that we're free we're gonna need new names," he said as she caught up completely with him. She nodded and jumped up to a sewer hole and slid it open.

"Hurry, I can smell her coming," he said, urging her on.

"Sorry, but it's kinda hard with the giant dragon wings."

"Let me help," he said as he pushed her feet up. She got loose and slid out easily, then turned back around and hauled her brother up, being careful not to hurt his wings.

"Thanks," he said.

23 nodded, not paying attention to the giant semi coming towards them.

Weapons were taught not to be afraid of anything.

The person in the truck honked his horn at them, but they didn't move. They were to busy looking at the sky. It was their first time. They never imagined it would be so...Blue.

"Wow," they said in unison.

"You wanna go now?" 23 asked. 24 nodded, and they spread their wings and jumped, soaring ever higher, savoring the feel of the wind in their fur and the feel of freedom itself.

That is, before they were shot down. Thankfully there were a few sky srapers with flat roofs, so they didn't get hurt to much.

"Who are you and where are you from?"

The twins turned to a woman with black hair wearing a suit with the SHIELD insignia on it. They narrowed their eyes as she pointed her gun at them, and the squad behind her did the same. 23 started growling, but 24 held up his hands. One at SHIELD and one in front of his sister to keep her from pouncing.

Hill glared at the girl and boy. It was obvious they were related. No one but identical twins looked that alike. They even dressed the same. The girl wore a black sports bra and a pair of tight, black shorts that looked uncomfortable. By the way she was squirming slightly, they were. The boy on the other hand just wore a pair of black pants and no shirt.

"Look," 24 said, "We don't want trouble. We were just trying to-"

"-I don't care what you were trying to do," Hill said. "I asked you two a direct question. You either answer them or get hurt."

23 looked at 24, whi sighed and nodded.

"I am 24, and this is my sister, 23. We came from underground."

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"Not really, but we would at least ask you to give us a-"

He was cut off by a gun shot coming from her gun. He glanced iver at his sistet, who was holding her shoulder. She glared, her pupils turning to slits. They shared another look and nodded in unison before lunging towards the squad of SHIELD agents.

* * *

"Did you find out who they were?"

Hill shook her head at Fury as she cradled her broken wrist.

"Not anything we can go off of, Sir. They said their names were 23 and 24, and they came from underground."

Fury smirked and folded his hands under his chin.

"They gave us more plenty."

"Uh...Sir?"

"It means they're either some super powered prankers or they're experiments. The base would be underground. Who knows how many hidden rooms there are."

"...Would you like me to go out with another squad, Sir?"

Fury shook his head, starring straight ahead.

"No, not today. But we do have to warn them."

"I'll get right on that, Sir."

Fury nodded.

"Get yourself fixed up first. If anything extremely bad happens they can handle it."

"None of then will like that."

"Then they're just going to have to deal with it."

"Yes, Sir."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-Unfamiliar**

**Third Person:**

"Agent Hill," Captain America greeted. She nodded, and he looked pointedly at het arm, raising an eyebrow.

"What happened?"

"These two happened," she said, laying an extremely thin file. "They both took down seven of our best operatives without breaking a sweat."

"What's Fury's part in this?"

"None of us knew until yesterday when they climbed out of a sewer hole during rush hour."

Steve nodded.

"I'll be sure to tell Tony about this. I think he would like to take a look."

"Alright. But as a fair warning, you might want to bring the Hulk with you."

Cap nodded again, and watched as Hill left. He sighed, and went down to the basement where Tony was. And to think that he could have gotten a day off for once. As Tony would put it, super hero struggles.

"Hey, Tony," he said, peaking his head through the door. Bruce was there too. He almost smirked as _AC/DC _blared through the entire workshop. Instead he just sighed.

"I know that sigh," Tony said from under his car. "That sigh means we have a mission. Talk to me, Steve."

"I completely agree with him," Bruce said.

"Twins, and they've attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. Hill and Fury need us to go hunt them down."

From under the car Steve could hear Stark sigh, and Bruce just looked uncomfortable.

"Twins? What do they look like?"

"See for yourself. They popped up yesterday," he replied, tossing the file on the ground next to Tony. He wheeled himself out from inder his car and took the file with grease stained hands. He whistled.

"That, my friend," he said, showing Bruce the pictures, "Is what happens when you don't shave."

"It says here that they are highly slilled in hand to hand combat, silent communication, and killing. That's about all there is," Bruce said, pushing up his reading glasses.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Stark asked. Cap sighed.

"You in your suit and Dr. Banner as the other guy."

The two scientists shared a look and nodded before leaving to get ready.

* * *

23 and 24 snarled and growled as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents came closer, backing them into a corner. 23's shoulder was still aching from the gun shot and 24 had been injured in the fight. He had been stabbed in his thigh. They had been chased for hours. They hadn't gotten any type of sleep the night before.

"Stand down," one of them said. 23 increased the volume of her growl, making a couple of them take a step or two back.

"What do you want with us?" She asked, her tail lashing, wings flaring outwards.

"We want you to come to the S.H.I.E.L.D.-"

"-Not gonna happen," 24 snarled. Before any of the agents could respond, Iron Man, who was carrying Captain America, dropped down. A second later Hulk was next to them.

A few of the guns went up to Hulk and Iron Man, who put his hands up slightly.

"Didn't you hear? Fury asked us. Now why don't you let the big kids handle this like adults."

A few of them looked at one another for that person's thoughts until one by one the guns went down, but not completely put away. Then the Avengers turned back around to the siblings in subject.

"Mind telling us who you are?" Cap asked.

"We've already told you, now leave us alone!" The girl said, clutching her hurt shoulder slightly. The boy, 24, had his hand sqeezing his stab wound.

"Who did that to you?" He asked cautiously. They glared.

"Who do you think? We gave then a straight answer and she freaking shot me," 23 growled in frustration. "That's why she went home with a broken wrist."

"Speakng of which, where's your family," Iron Man cut in. The twins shared a look and shrugged.

They pointed their thumbs at each other and stared them straight in the face, loosening up ever so slightly.

"How did that happen?" Cap asked, nodding towards 23's shoulder and her brothers thigh.

"I got shot, then we retaliated, and the fight he got stabbed."

Iron Man and Cap shared a look. S.H.I.E.L.D. never said that they had started it. Only that the twins had attacked. Then again it was S.H.I.E.L.D. They never told the complete truth.

"Why don't you come with us?" Cap said. They tensed up again and started backing away.

"So we can end up in a cell or something?" 24 asked.

"No thanks," his sister finished. Stark sighed. He didn't know how they were gonna gain their trust. It would be extremely bad for them to go to the dark side. It would be better to have then on their side. Hell, maybe they could even become Avengers. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize Steve was sticking his hand out. Behind them Hulk snuffed.

The twins looked at the hand with complete confusion. What was he trying to do? Was it a trick? Was he going to flip one of them over his shoulder if they took it? They had never seen a gesture like that before. All they ever knew was pain. Finally, 24 dared to ask the million dollar question.

"Why are you doing that? What does that mean?"

"It's called a hand shake," Cap explained. "It's how we give people a polite greeting." He smiled warmly at them, as the girl slowly but surely took his hand and shook it. He tried not to wince at how tight and tense her grip was. It felt like she was going to break his hand. After she let go, her brother tried it out.

"Weird," he said. Iron Man raised an eyebrow and shrugged. After all, to him, hand shakes were extremely normal. He had to shake people's hands all the time, being genius billionaire playboy philanthropist.

"So do you wanna hang with us for while?" Stark asked, his mask on is helmet lifting up. The twins looked at each other, as if having a silent conversation, and nodded, before turning back to the small team of Avengers.

"...Sure."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3-Possible Allies**

**Third Person:**

"Are you sure, Tony?" Natasha asked as they watched the twins. Tony had given them their own rooms, and according to Tony, Bruce, and Steve, they hadn't moved. However, according to JARVIS, they went out every night to get food from the kitchen. But they didn't go for anything big, like the turkey or watermelon. They usually just grabbed some small fruit and a sandwich or two and headed back to their rooms.

"Of course I'm sure. When am I not sure?"

Natasha shrugged.

"I don't know. They seem pretty secluded. Have you tried giving them a tour of the place?"

"Yes, but whenever I knocked on their doors they never answered."

"Well, either way we need to get information out of them."

They aren't your science experiments, or sources of limitless information."

Tony and Natasha turned to see Steve walking up to them, a small frown on his face. Bruce came in behind him.

"I have to agree with him on this one," Bruce said, rubbing his arms nervously.

"I'm not saying they're experiments or sources of information," Tony said, "But we can't exactly just let this go, either."

Natasha nodded and sighed, turning back to the screen, only to find them gone.

"Hey, guys," she said, slight warning in her tone. The bickering men turned and have her their full attention.

"They're gone."

* * *

23 scratched her head as she traveled down one of the many hallways of Avengers Tower. They hadn't exactly gotten a tour of the building. The only reason they new where the kitchen was was because they had to walk through it to get to their rooms. It was weird for them to have seperate rooms. They had always shared one. It was where they had always trained.

"Hey."

The two whirled around, their fists up for a fight, bodies tense.

"Relax, It's just me," Bruce said. The twins dropped their stance. "I don't think you two have had a proper tour of the place. I live here with Tony, Clint, and Thor when he comes back to Earth. I would be happy to show you around. If you want to, that is."

The twins looked at each other, internally deciding. Finally they just looked at Bamner and nodded, letting him step in front of them so he could lead the way.

They walked in a triangle, letting Bruce tell them what's what and what's who's, and who's what while they just listened.

"...And this room is the living room. This is where we all just hang when we're not fighting Chitari, or Loki."

There was a large, almost semi-circle couch with recliners on either end and a coffee table in the middle. Hanging on the wall was a flat screen TV, and on the wall was a keypad to the security system and JARVIS.

"By the way, what did you say your names were again?"

"I am 23, and this is 24."

"Have you ever thought about changing them?"

The twins shrugged.

"Yes, but we haven't decided yet."

"Well I've been thinking about it ever since I let you shed on the rug," Stark said, wlaking in. Steve and Natasha were behind him.

"Since you're twins, or at least really close in age, I presume something extremely close, like Danny and Dani, or Benny and Beni. Maybe Alex and Axel. That has a nice ring to it."

"Alex," she said, letting the name roll of her tongue. It sounded foreign, yet familiar at the same time.

"Sounds good to us," Axel said. Alex nodded.

Steve smiled at them as he sat down next to Alex, picking up a controller. A few minutes later, Clint came in and did the same.

"You're going down, old man," he said. Steve smirked.

"Is that so? Or did you just forget the other times I've beaten you?"

"I learn from my mistakes."

"Since when?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow at Clint. "You still make popcorn using my Arc Reactor even though you made a fire doing that last week."

Clint just shrugged.

"Only about some things, Stark," he said, "Only some things."

"Well, I think it would be nice for a subject change," Bruce said, sitting in one of the recliners.

"Like what?"

"Well, Alex and Axel might want to attend school, get a degree, make friends and whatnot."

"We don't really need school," they said in unison. Clint almost dropped his controller.

"Wow, that is creepy "

"Unless it's about Asgard," Alex pitched in. Axel shrugged.

"I just want to see it for myself. Or maybe see other realms, like Jotunhiem, or-"

"-A few things," Tony interrupted. "Jotenhiem is a bad place, according to Thor, and why don't you need school?"

He didn't sound smug. From the tone of his voice he was just really curious.

"We were force fed information about everything and everyone of importance," they replied swiftly. Clint's jaw dropped slightly.

"Does anyone else think that's creepy or is it just me?"

Tony and Natasha raised their hands.

"Does that mean you have information on us?" Natasha asked, putting her hand back down. They nodded.

"What can you tell me about me?" She asked.

"Natasha Romanoff, daughter of Ivan Gregoff, nationality just about everywhere. You were a spy for the Russians before SHIELD found you, and you joined them. The only reason you were with the Russians was because you were brain washed and-" Alex said.

"-Well, I think that's enough about me," Natasha interrupted, sweat forming on her palms. She looked just a tiny bit paler next, but was immediately back to her usual self as Clint raised his hand.

"How much do you know about me?"

This time Axel answered,

"Clint Barton, was a part of the circus until you were a teenager. During that time you practiced archery with your brother, who went bad before he died. You claimed to be the best archer in the world, and later you were picked up by SHIELD. It was actually you that was sent to kill Natasha but instead you gave her a second chance."

They all, except the twins and Natasha, looked at Clint with wide eyes.

"Looks like someone has the hots for the Russian," Tony said, nudging him in the side. Clint's face went bright red.

"Do Banner."

"No," Stark said, "Me next. I want to see how much they know about me."

"Well, considering you're famous, it's hard not to know about you," Natasha retorted. "Besides, they obviously know about us and our lives. Why don't you two tell us about yourselves?"

The twins internally squirmed under their gazes, but kept rock solid faces.

"We believe we were made by a Skrull-shape shifting alien that's at war with the Kree-which is a whole different alien race," Axel said.

"We were trained by her, and taught by her, and...Tortured by her. Ninety-three percent of our skin is scar tissue. You just can't see it because of the fur."

"What about your parents? Aren't they worried."

"Well...That's the thing..."

"We don't know if we have parents. If we do then hooray for us, but it doesn't make much of a difference"

"Why not?" Bruce asked.

"Because," they said in unison once again, "Weapons don't get families."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4-Image**

**Alex:**

I wasn't sure why the Avengers were surprised by what my brother and I had said. It was truth. A universal law, if you will. We've never had a bed, or food that tastes good, or even carpet. We slept on the stone floor. When we got out of the sewer hole, it was the first time we had seen day light. Granted, I could have gone without getting shot, but still. Who knew fresh (ish) air would feel so good?

Currently I was sitting outside, dangling my feet over edge and looking down at the ground. They looked like ants from all the way up here. I just shrugged and turned my attention towards myself.

I still wore the same black clothing that was slightly to small. It was even tearing at the seams. Not only that, but my fur was still caked with blood and mud from SHIELD and the sewers. I bet we smelled to them. I wouldn't be surprised.

I looked back down to the street, half thinking how fun it would be to fall and feel weightless, feeling that awesome adrenaline rushing through be. Instead I just took off the bloody, itchy bandages around my shoulder and put them next to me. I would just throw them away when I got inside.

I picked at my claws and spread my wings out, letting them catch in the wind. I enjoyed that feeling, and so did Axel. Underground there was never enough room for us to spread them. Our wingspan was to big. Mine was twenty-two feet. His was twenty-four.

I sorta smiled as I took a deep breath, getting Steve's scent. He was outside now, apparently.

"Hey," he said, throwing a white smile at me.

"Hey."

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting, and spreading my wings. It feels nice."

He sat down next to me, and I moved the bandages away from him. He gave me a quizzical look.

"What happened, anyway?"

"SHIELD found us before Stark did. They asked questions, we answered them. I don't think they were very satisfied, because then the one with black hair shot me. I broke her wrist after that."

"I know getting shot is painful, but did you really have to break her wrist?"

I shrugged.

"I didn't mean to. It just sort of happened. Like earlier, I opened a normal wooden door and it came off its hinges."

"Well, it sounds like you just don't know how to hold back."

"That's because I've never had to. The only person I've sparred with is Axel, and he's as strong, if not, stronger than I am."

Steve chuckled slightly, and I gave him a confused look.

"Why are you laughing? I didn't think what I said was very amusing..."

"It's not you. Well, it is but it isn't. I just had a thought of Tony finding out you're as smart as him and he flips out and tries to out-do you."

"Personally I would not be surprised. Now what's the real reason yoh came out here? I know it wasn't just so we could talk."

He smiled again and stood up.

"Sometimes it's nice to just talk. But you are right. I came to cut your hair. It's almost down to your feet."

"You know how to cut hair?"

"I used to cut Bucky's because he haited the barber shop."

I shrugged.

"Just not to short, please."

**Axel:**

I smiled at myself as I looked in the mirror. Steve cut my hair, so now it was shaggy and layed there. Then Tony had taken the liberty of using some sort of gel to spike it up. I like it.

Judging from 23's-er, Alex's thoughts, Steve was doing the same to her.

"Lookin' good," Natasha said as she sat down in the chair across from me. I nodded.

"It feels weird having my hair this short," I told her. She just smiled for a moment before her face went rigid. I asked her what was wrong. She sighed.

"Yesterday. You said you were tortured. What did you mean?"

If I didn't have fur I'm sure I would be whiter than paper. There were many ways she tortured us, but none of them were like the Box, or taking out our tear glands so we couldn't cry, or when she chained to a wall and-

No. I couldn't think about that. That was to painful. Maybe if Alex and I stayed around long enough they might find out because we would have to tell them, but other than that, we won't even bring it up.

"Axel? You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Just...Thinking. Anyway, there was the usual kind of torture like intense beatings, no sleep, barely any food or water, sparring till be literally fell unconscious from exhaustion. Little things like that. But none of those things are like the Box. Well, it's not actually called that, it's just a nickname we made for it."

Natasha raised an eyebrow, and I felt kind of uncomfortable under her cold gaze, but I didn't show it. Weapons weren't supposed to have emotions and stuff.

"The Box?"

I nodded.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not really, but I have a strong feeling you're not gonna stop bugging me about it, so I'll tell you anyway."

That kinda made her chuckle a little bit, but I didn't know why. It was a fact. She was a spy, not only that but she was a spy for SHIELD, and organizations like that starved from not having enough knowledge at theor disposal, even though they were flooding with it.

"The Box is this small room that takes away all of your senses, meaning you can't hear, see, smell, feel, or even taste. When you come back out all of your senses are on overdrive, and it's extremely painful, and that's putting it lightly. Imagine coming out with sensitive sneses like ours, like hearing and smelling, and then coming out to spar."

"How long does it last once you've come out?"

"To long. It's enough to drive anyone crazy. I'm surprised we're not completely insane, to be honest."

"Well, you seem almost perfectly normal to me."

"Yeah, but Ringleader, the Skrull, took to much from us. One of those things was our piece of mind. I kinda miss it."

I could tell she was a bit surprised that I was referring to my piece of mind as if it was something yoh could see and physically touch, but I didn't care. It might as well have been that way. I missed them, too. And so did Alex.

"Well," Natasha said, standing up, "It's been a nice talk-"

"-Really? Wow, you spies must have a weird sense of humor. I didn't think this talk was nice at all."

Natasha just stared at me like I had grown an extra head. Though, she should have been used to the way I looked by now. It was weird.

"Well, it's been a talk. I'm going out with the others for shwarma later. Do you and Alex wanna come too?"

I shrugged.

"I guess, but wouldn't we kind of freak people out a little bit? There aren't exactly people with dragon wings and fur walking the streets."

"Stark is working on that. Until then, just sit tight."

I shrugged, and she left, leaving me alone with my thoughts and Alex's.

**Third Person:**

Tony grinned as he stepped through the doors of the elevator, Happy Hogan carrying his shopping bags behind him. He set them on the couch next to Clint and Steve, who were playing video games again.

"On your left," he said. Clint glared and groaned as Tony took of his sunglasses.

"Thanks, Happy. Why don't you take the day off," he said, making the word 'you' a little bit longer than the others. Happy smiled, nodded, amd left the way he had come in.

"Who's that stuff for?" Clint asked.

"The twins," Tony replied swiftly. "Where are they?"

"Alex is finishing up her shower while Axel is still trying to get his fur dry," Steve replied. "On your left."

"I know you're kn my left, you don't have to say that every time you pass me!" Clint cried. Steve just smirked. Before he could actually say he saw them fighting, he left.

The bathroom wasn't that far from the living room, and he found it easily. He didn't really want to intrude, so he just cracked the door open and placed Alex's bag in the sink and quickly left, to go find Axel. When he made it back to the living room to get his stuff, he was already sitting on the couch.

"Nice hair," he said, ruffling it slightly. "Who cut it? Steve?" He asked in a joking tone.

"Yes."

"Are those?..."

"The shorts? They are also Steve's. He said I needed some clean ones."

"They look a little...Big."

"They are, a little bit."

Tony blinked a couple of times before shaking his head and grabbing Axel's bag.

"Here," he said, "This is for you."

Axel took the bag and stuck his head inside. They were fresh clothes.

"Go try them on. I'm told I have a wonderful fashion sense."

"Uh...Okay..."

Axel got up and left the room to go to his so he could change.

When he got there he dumped the contents out on his bed that was still perfectly made. He hadn't slept in it once. He knew he wouldn't find it comfortable.

From the bag were two tank tops, three normal shirts, two pairs of shorts, three pairs of jeans, and a few pairs of underwear, and two belts. It was a very large bag.

He decided to go with the black jeans and blue T-Shirt that seemed to make most of his muscles pop out. He chose the black belt. There were no shoes.

The clothes fit him well, and they were even comfortable. That wasn't a combo he ever had when it came to clothes.

When he finally made it back, Alex was tying a pair of black combat boots. Or was attempting to anyway. They had never needed shoes before. Steve had to help her.

She wore black cargo jeans and an emerald tank top, and her hair was in a pony tail, her long bangs swept to the side of her face.

"You wanna try the other one?" Steve asked. Alex did, and tied it exactly like Steve had done.

"They feel nice," she said, walking around in them. Tony grinned and handed Axel his pair. Then he got excited like a little kid on Christmas.

"You two are gonna love what I made you."

They watched as Tony pulled out two necklaces. Each one was one half of the Yin-Yang symbol. He gave the white half to Alex and the black half to Axel.

"Put them on," he said.

They did so, but didn't feel any different like they were expecting. They looked to the small group, studying each face. They were all either shock or horror.

"What?" They asked.

They looked at each other and jumped back.

They looked normal. Alex had no fur or wings or tail, and neither did Axel. But they thing that scared the Avengers was the fact that just about every inch of theor bodies was covered in scars and bruises.

"What the hell..." Tony said. The twins sighed.

"We told you ninety-three percent of our skin was scar tissue."

"I thought you were kidding."

"Well, we can modify them. All we need are some recalibration tools. We can stay here, you guys just bring us something edible," Alex said, taking her necklace off, returning to her normal self. Axel did the same, and left after his sister. Before he stepped through the doorway though, je turned around.

"When she says edible she means no meat. We don't find cannabalism very attractive."

The Avengers just stared at them blankly as they left.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5-School**

**Third Person:**

Alex and Axel looked up as Steve walked in, Tony and Bruce behind him.

"We have a couple questions for you," Tony announced. They twins sighed and set down their tools.

"What kind of questions?" They asked in unison.

"First of all," Bruce said, "Would you like to go to a public school. We know you're smart enough, but we just thought you might want to make a few normal friends."

"We don't really care either way," they replied.

"Good," Tony replied. "But because your answer was yes, you need a legal guardian so you can attend said school. So, the million dollar question, which one of us would you like to be your legal guardian?"

The twins thought it over, having a mental conversation.

_"Definitely not Tony, Clint, or Natasha," _Alex said. Axel nodded in agreement, and the three men looked at them confused.

_"How about Bruce? He seems kind of fit for that job."_

_"Yeah, but he doesn't handle people well. Especially when he gets...Moody."_

_"Then that would leave Thor or Steve."_

_"And Thor is never here so..."_

"Steve," they said in unison. Tony groaned slightly and handed a twenty over to Bruce.

"Okay," Tony said, "But if you're picking the Star Spangled Man with a Plan then I get to be the fun uncle. Not Clint."

"Sounds like a fair deal."

Tony grinned and linked Bruce's arm with his.

"Come on, Banner. I wanna see the looks on their faces."

Steve looked down at the twins, who had shrugged and gone back to fixing the necklaces.

"Are you absolutely positive?" He asked. He wanted to make sure they were doing it for them, not for his sake.

"Tony and Clint can be a bit dim sometimes, Bruce can't handle extreme preasure, Natasha works for SHIELD, and Thor is never here. You're the only person in this building qualified to be a dad. Except for maybe Pepper Potts, but she's busy making sure Tony doesn't get his metaphorical food on his metaphorical bib," Alex replied.

"And you decided all of that in seconds? Without even a word?"

"We have a mental link that let's us communicate with each other," Axel said, tapping the side of his head for emphasis. Steve pursed his lips and nodded.

"Okay then. You'll be starting school tomorrow, then."

* * *

The next day Steve had them awake by six in the morning so they could get ready, which, considering they had already been awake, didn't take very long. Steve was starting to think that this parenting stuff might not be to hard with kids like these.

Today, Alex wore her usual jeans with a pair of blue Vans, along with a dark green tank top with a dark blue over shirt that she didn't bother to button up. Axel wore a pair of jeans and his black Vans with a brown shirt. It was the same material like the other one, and also made hks muscles pop out, just like the other one. He was okay with that though.

And thanks to their newly modified necklaces, they looked more normal as well. They had black hair instead of a dirty blonde color, and looked a little less skinnier. Thanks to their metabolism, they looked under fed all the time. Also, there were a few freckles across their noses, just to throw them off a little more.

They were out the door by six forty-five and at school by sevenish, where they only had roughly fifteen minutes to find their classes before first hour started. Thankfully, Stark had gotten them the same classes at the same time, so they didn't have to worry about being separated for very long. They even had lockers next to each other. How he pulled that off, they would never know.

As they walked down the halls, having a small conversation about the literal meaning of life, a few boys pushed Axel into the lockers, while a couple others started hitting on Alex. Both were completely unphased.

One of the boys holding Axel down smirked.

"Seems like you're not so protective of your girl. Freaking newbies."

"One," he replied, "She's not my girl, she's my twin. Two, she's perfectly capable of handling a bunch of dim weaklings like yourselves."

At that, the guy fumed, and pulled his fist back. When he launched it forward, it was stopped, and he was surprised.

"Rule number one," Axel said, bending his wrist back until the boy screamed in pain, "Never let your opponent catch you off guard."

"And rule number two," Alex said as the two gang members holding her arms loosened their grip, "Don't get distracted. It's only another weakness."

With that, she easily slipped out of their grip and punched them both in their stomachs, making them lurch forward in pain.

"Now, please," they said, "Just go away."

With that they continued their way down the hall and into Homeroom, leaving the jocks all stunned.

* * *

By the time lunch rolled around, just about everyone heard what had happened. Even the freshman, and now they wouldn't stop hitting on Alex. It was getting annoying.

What was more annoying to Axel though, was the fact that half the girls in the cafeteria had started talking about him, and how they would bang him. One of them even stuck her boobs in his face to try and win him over, but that obviously didn't work. They just continued eating their vegan meals until the bell rang, and it was time for AP History, with Mr. Lewis.

"Ah," Lewis said when they got there, "You must be our new students. I am Mr. Lewis. Class," he turned towards the mass of tired kids that were bored out of their skulls, "These are our new students, Alex and Axel Rogers. Please treat them with the respect you treat each other with."

After a few snickers and evil grins, the professor shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

"On second thought, why don't you just treat them with respect. Now, would you like to share something about yourselves?"

The twins just shared a look and shrugged. What were they supposed to say? They were tortured by a skrull underground and had no idea how old they really were or if they had real parents or not? How about no. Instead they just went with a simple answer.

"We're twins and we don't eat meat."

A few student's gasped at how well they talked at the same time, but they kust shrugged it off and moved to the two empty seats in the back.

"Now, class, can anyone tell me what three major battles Captain America fought in during World War II?"

A few raised their hands as he turned around, but the twins just answered instead.

"There was the battle in the mountains where they raided a HYDRA train where they nor only captured German scientist, Arnim Zola, but he also lost his best friend, and another member of the Howling Comandos, Bucky-" Axel said.

"-Then there was one a little before that when only Captain America went into the biggest HYDRA base and single handedly saved three hundred men-" Alex continued.

"-And when he fought Red Skull in the plane over the Arctic, right before he froze himself."

The entire class looked at them like theh were aliens. Even the teacher, who was, oddly enough, the first person to get over it.

"Well, it seems you've certainly done your homework," he said as he cleared hos throat. "Alright, class, pop quiz..."

* * *

By the end of the school day, they each had four text books "calculus, history, zoology, and chemistry), and a bag full of homework that would only take roughly fifteen minutes to write all of the answers down. They knew that because Tony decided to time them as they sat at the table and wrote. At the seven minute mark, Tony started antagonizing them.

"Oh, come on," he said jokingly, "I would have had this done in five. Are you sure you don't need my help."

"The day we need your help," Alex said, "Is the day we see pigs fly."

"Actual living, breathing pigs with angel wings," Axel added, "Not a mechanical pig that you rigged."

Tony was slightly taken aback, but only for a moment. He grinned.

"Well, okay then. Thor is here, he showed up around noon, if you want to ask him stuff. By the way, how do you feel about pizza tonight?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6-Training**

**Axel:**

Clint poked me as my eyebrows furrowed in concentration. I ignored him, and he sighed and groaned because be wasn't getting a reaction. I could break his finger, but I decided against it. I had already broken a wrist during the week, and that was a total stranger. Granted, he was being a dick, but still. I sighed, and stood up, grabbing my paper and pencil.

I don't know why, exactly, but he somewhat paled as he poked my stomach again.

"I'm not ticklish," I say. He nodded.

"Yeah...I got that. Hey, later do you wanna catch a movie? I'm getting bored."

I looked at him with a confused expression. A what? What the hell was a movie? Was it a bug? If so, I'd never heard of it, and I've hears of every species on the Earth.

"Uh...Maybe later? Steve said he wanted to show me something."

Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Where?"

"He said it was in the basement," I shrugged. He rolled his eyes and stood up, leading me to the elevator that led down.

"Super boring sometimes, but I'll come check it out just to see how well a newbie like you will do," he said, putting a hand on my shoulder and pushing me into the opening elevator. I ran into Alex, and when I did, she gave a pointed look at Hawkeye, then me, and back at him. She sighed.

"Next time make sure no one is in the elevator before you push them in," she said, pushing me off her and stepping to the side so there was more room.

"You too, huh?" I say to Alex, leaning on the railing. She nodded.

The compartment was silent for the rest of the trip, making both me and Alex slightly nervous. Ever since we were young, we had always been put in cramped spaces, and it only got worse as we grew. We would be freaking out about the claustrophobia if we weren't already used to it. Now we were just tense.

The elevator dinged, letting us know we were at our destination, and we stepped out.

The room was large, like a chasm of sorts, but it was lined with white walls, ceiling, and floor. On the floor was a red 'A' for Avengers. In the middle of it stood Cap, Thor, and Iron Man. Natasha, and Bruce were over to the side, Hawkeye walking to join them.

"This is training," Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So you're willingly gonna let us punch you?" Alex asked. She smirked and cracked her knuckles.

"Sweet."

**Third Person:**

Alex smirked amd lunged for Thor, who tried to dodge. The only problem was he wasn't fast enough. She grabbed his head in between her ankles and sent his face into the ground, landing swiftly on her feet a few feet away form him. On the other side of the room, Bruce and Natasha had raised eyebrows, and Hawkeye's jaw had dropped. If he was Reed Richards, his jaw would probably be on the floor.

Thor felt conflicted slightly. The Man of Iron had told him to go easy on them because they might be weak. Especially the girl. But as he lifted his face from the ground, he growled.

"Mortal elves," he scowled, blowing some hair from his face. The twins rolled there eyes.

"We're not elves," Axel said, sending his feet into Iron Man's chest and sending him flying. Well, flying backwards. He had already been airborne.

"We're lab experiments," Alex finished.

"Mortal science amazes me sometimes."

"That's because you Asgardians deal more with magic than science. By the way, when are you gonna go back to Asgard, because I wanna see it."

"Not anytime soon," he replied. "Odin's beard!" He said, barely dodging on of Axel's kicks. "But," He groaned, "I would be happy to teach you all about Asgard if you wish."

"Sweet. And uh...No hard feelings about me sending your face into the ground...Right?" Alex said, sweeping Cap's feet out from under him, then jumping over to Thor as he threw his hammer at Axel, who ducked, and it ended up hitting Iron Man instead.

"My turn," She said, launching herself at Thor. He ducked, but she had expected this, so as she flew over him, she grabbed his cape and pulled hard on it, using the momentum to turn back around and slide in between his legs, bringing the cape with her. His head made contact with the ground just as Alex was back on her feet, doing a couple of backflips to avoid Tony's repulsor blasts.

"We can't even touch them," he said.

Iron Man was thrown off balance when Axel jumped on his back, leading him towards the ground.

"Then why keep fighting?" He said, letting go right before Tony ate the flooring.

At that comment, Steve realized they were just playing with them. They weren't even trying, and if they were, they were doing a poor job at it. They weren't even breathing hard, like them.

"I know I said you two don't know your own strength," He said, blocking Alex's foot with his shield, "But that doesn't mean you have to hold back in a fight."

The twins stopped for a moment, landing side by side.

"You wouldn't want that," they said. They all dropped their fighting stances and gave the twins a puzzled look.

"You could get seriously hurt. We don't want that to happen," Axel explained.

"We've already been seriously hurt. Ever heard of the Battle of New York?" Tony said, his mask flinging up. They nodded, and looked away.

"What he means is...It's the type of hurt that can't get better," Alex said. At this point the three Avengers that were watching walked towards them, standing next to the ones that had been sparring.

"What? Why?" Bruce asked. The twins rubbed the back of theor necks nervously.

"Well...We were sorta made to...To kill you..."

All of their eyes widened in shock, and Natasha and Clint tensed up. Steve just put his shield on his back and Tony took his helmet off. All of them looked at the twins, all having similar thoughts of _"I knew it," _to _"Why do they looked ashamed? And what are they ashamed off?"_

"Okay, one," Tony said, holding up a finger, "We're to sexy to kill. And two, why didn't you tell us this before?"

"Stark is right," Steve said, stepping forward. "Besides, did you think we would think any less of you if you had told us sooner?"

"Maybe," the twins answered, "But mostly because we didn't want you to get hurt. Everything we like has always been taken away from us."

"You...Like us?" Clint asked. He was no longer tense, like Natasha. The twins nodded.

"Yeah," Axel said, "We think you're nice."

"You're the only people that we've met that has given us a second chance. Actually, you're the first to actually acknowledge us as normal people. That..."

"...That was a first."

They all stared at them, not saying anything. None of them knew how much of an impact they made in Alex and Axel's lives. Though, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to them. They did, after all, give them the names, clothes, even rooms. They gave them a place to call home.

After that, they didn't really feel like sparring anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7-Teaching**

**Alex:**

"What is that noise?" I asked, perking my ears up. It was strange, yet satisfying. Clint waved it off.

"That's just Tony blaring his music through the house again."

"What's music?"

I watched, slightly amused, as on his Arc Reactor heated popcorn. He coughed.

"You're joking, right? Please tell me that was a joke."

I shook my head, and his eyes widened. What was the big deal? Why was he looking at me like I had grown two-well, that question was easily solved, but still.

"Dude."

"What? What is is?"

Without answering my question, he sighed and shoved me into the elevator, pressed a button and left. I glanced at the one he pressed. It was the floor that Tony's workshop was on. I had passed it a couple of times, but never really decided to look in it.

"Uh...JARVIS?"

_"Yes, Master Alex?"_

"Uh, no need to call me master. Can you let me in to Tony's workshop?"

_"Indeed, Alex."_

A second later the little pad code glowed green and said Access Granted, and I walked in.

Tony was under his car, listening to some music that I had never even heard of. Then again, it was my first time even hearing it.

I walked over calmly and knocked on the hood of the car, turning around to lean against it. A second later, he slid out from beneath the car and smiled. His features were greasy, and I could smell the oil in his hair.

"What's up?" He asks. I shrug.

"I heard...Whatever this is," I said, gesturing all around me since the sound was coming from everywhere. He gave me a confused look.

"The music?"

I nodded, and he stood up and sat in the driver's seat of the car. He patted the passenger seat, and I sat down.

"This lovely band is one of my personal favorites, AC/DC. I think you would be more of a Beatles slash Journey slash Styx slash Foreigner slash basically all of the good music from the last generation."

"I will be sure to look those up," I say, popping the 'p' slightly.

"Or you can just listen to the badass guitar from the song Thunderstruck while you help me work on my hot rod."

I shrug, not really caring either way.

"Okay."

**Third Person:**

"Do you guys know where Alex is?" Steve asked as he walked into the living room.

"In the workshop with Tony," Axel answered, jerking the video game controller slightly as he played Street Fighter 2 with Clint.

"Can you believe that these two don't know what music is?" Clint said, not taking his eyes off the screen. Steve raised an eyebrow at the weird comment but shrugged it off.

"Good, because I need to talk to him about it to. Come on," he said. Axel dropped the controller and followed him into the elevator. They were greeted by extremely loud Styx music.

_~The jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me, Renegade, who had it made-_

The music was clicked off by Tony, who had returned under the car. Alex was working on the engine. Tony rolled out, waved slightly, grabbed a wrench, and went back under. Alex, on the other hand, gave no greeting.

"I have an idea," Steve said. At this, Tony rolled back out, and Alex stepped away from the car and leaned against it, giving her full attention.

"I was thinking," Steve started, "That you two twins could teach, since you're so skilled."

"What kind of teaching?" Alex asked. There was something slightly different about her voice and expression, Steve noticed. It seemed more on edge, and hard. He glanced at Axel, who held the same expression.

"Uh...Self defense. Fighting. You could-"

"-No," they said in unison.

"Why not? It'll be good for you. Other than school you two never get out much. Besides, I've seen the way you smile at little kids on the street when you're outside, so I thought maybe you could teach a few."

"We can't."

"Why not?" Stark asked, standing up. The twins had ashen faces, like they were remembering a nightmare.

"It's personal."

"Care to...Elaborate?"

"Not really."

"Well, how about this," Steve said, "You do it anyway, since I signed you up, and if you don't like it, you can quit, and they can look for two other teachers that are skilled in more than one type of martial arts."

The twins were silent for a few minutes, just staring at each other. Only about half way in did Steve realize they were using that mental link they told him about.

Finally, they just sighed, and Tony gave them a confused look.

"Fine. We'll try it out," Alex said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"When is it? And where?" Axel finished, stuffing his hands in his pocket.

"Thunderer Dojo down on Main Street tomorrow directly after school. The instructor will be expecting you."

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds creepy, like a crazy doctor in a horror movie," Tony said. Steve just rolled his eyes.

"What's a movie?" Axel asked. Steve and Tony both got wide eyes.

"You've never seen a movie? Out of the thousands there are, not a single one?" Tony asked.

"We don't even know what one is."

"We are going to have to fix that. Now, come! First will be a few horror flicks, some action, and then Disney. I personally think Alex will like the _Transformers, _and Axel the horror ones. We have got to catch you up to the twenty first century."

As Tony pushed them out the door, the twins swiveled their heads around and mouthed,

_Help, _to Steve, who just smirked and gave a little wave.

* * *

Alex and Axel sighed as Steve led them into the dojo, where a blonde haired guy with a bandage on his face was waiting. He smiled at them.

"Hi, I'm Danny," he said, reaching his hand out so they could shake it. They did, and then took off their shoes so they could step on the mat.

"Today, I was hoping to just watch how you two work. I promise I won't intervene. I just wanna see if they'll be in good hands," Danny said. The twins nodded.

"Yeah, okay," they said. "What are they learning?"

"Today is the free day where we go over anything they need help with. Feel free to do whatever."

They nodded again, and Steve went to go sit down in some chairs with Danny.

"What are you doing here?"

The twins turned to see Tori and Derek, kids from school. Derek was the one that had been messing with Alex on their first day, when Axel had been pinned. Tori was his sister, also in their calculus class, and had a huge, obvious crush on Axel. He didn't return the affection.

"We're your unofficial new teachers," Alex said, cracking her knuckles. Tori frowned at her.

"What do you know about fighting?" She asked. Alex smirked.

"Just about everything. You?"

Danny smirked. She was a grade-A smart ass, and he expected her brother to be the same way. The other thing that caught his attention was the fact that she didn't sound smug, or like she was bragging. She sounded like she was stating a fact, which made his interests a bit higher.

"I have the All American Belt," She said proudly. "What belt are you?"

"I don't need a belt to tell me how good I am. I've been doing this since birth."

"We learned to kick before walking," Axel said. Danny and Steve cracked a smile, but Steve wouldn't be surprised either way. They did after all, grow up with an alien.

"Can we get started now?" Alex said, placing her hands on her hips. Axel nodded, and they stepped to thew center of the room.

Steve could tell there was a change in the air. Usually, around the twins, they were always in a monotone mood, or just didn't really care, making everyone nervous. In here though, the air seemed lighter, friendlier. However, he could tell that neither of them really liked Tori or Derek. It was obvious they were attracted to the younger ones when it came to teaching. Steve smirked.

_Told them, _he thought.

He watched as time passed, the twins teaching them how to properly do things, and helping the younger kids who were to embarrassed to ask as much as the older ones. Alex had even gotten on her knees to be close to one of their heights, showing her how to properly punch the punching bag.

There was a lot of complaints, and a lot of them said "I can't," which really ticked the twins off. Then there was Derek and his big, fowl mouth around little kids, and the fact that he and Tori kept saying they were the smartest in the school so the younger ones should listem to them instead of the twins. They didn't show they heard the comments or snide remarks, though. They just kept doing what they we doing, until it was time to go. But before they could file out, however, Axel blocked the door.

"To the mat," he said.

"Move, dweeb," Derek said, getting slightly annoyed.

"I broke your friend's wrist. Don't think I won't do the same to you. Now, go. Sit on. The mat."

Derek's face contortedin anger, but he huffed and followed the younger kids anyway. Danny stood up, wondering what the hell was going on, but Steve stopped him, and shook his head. Danny nodded, but didn't sit back down.

"You all did amazing today," Alex said. "But there are a few things we want to talk to you about."

"First is the fact that just because we look young and this is our first time in here," Axel said, "Does not mean you can disrespect anyone. This is not the first time we've taught."

"Second, Derek and Tori, watch your mouths. You seem to forget that little people have ears too. We don't want complaints."

"Third-If you have trouble with something, don't just sit there and twiddle your thumbs. Ask us for help. We won't be the grr teachers you think we are. We'll work with you. You just have to let us."

"Fourth-one of our biggest pet peeves is someone saying 'I can't.' When you tell yourself that, you are looking down on yourself. Stand strong and fight. Saying 'I can't' is saying you won't. If you're having trouble, say it, and we'll help. Just try harder."

"And lastly," The twins said in unison. "We're sure that you've already heard this from Danny over there. In here, with us teaching, you only get one strike. If we find out that you are using what we teach you for things other than defense, you will be expelled. No exceptions."

"Well, out of all the ones we've seen this week," Danny said, clapping his hands together with a grin, "You two were the best. Steve really wasn't kidding. But, before we go, I wanna spar one of you. I wanna see your talent. You did say, after all, that you learned to kick before you walked."

"Which one of us?"

"Um...That's a hard question. Huh...Who do you think Steve?"

"I think either one and you're sealing your fate."

Danny laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

"That sounds conflicting. Okay...Uh, Alex, then."

"Kids, you might wanna back up a little bit."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **i apologize for any typos, I do a lot of these chapters from my cell, and I don't end up catching all the typos. Also, please review!

**~SoN~**

**Chapter 9-Talent**

**Third Person:**

Alex smiled as she thought about later. It had only been a few days since the dojo thing, and she loved teaching again She couldn't help but smile, even if for a second. She had forgotten what it had felt like to be happy again, and now,she and Axel were starting to remember. But for them, that was a bad thing.

She and Axel were relaxing on the couch watching another horror movie Stark had picked out. He kept trying to find one that scared them, but so far, they hadn't even flinched. Clint was in between them, watching with a bowl of popcorn. Eventually, the twins both fell asleep.

"Awe, would you look at that," Tony said, nudging Steve as they walked in. Steve rolled his eyes, and Tony scratched the back of his head.

"Man, I was really hoping they would actually feel.a little frightened, not fall asleep in the middle. Does anything scare them?"

"Shh!" Clint said, stuffing his face with more popcorn. "'I' 'ge' "ing' goo.'"

"What?" Steve asked. Clint swallowed.

"I said it's getting good. See? Oh, by the way, I found this in the trash," he said, holding up a crumpled ball of paper. Steve took it as Tony pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"What have I told you about digging through the trash?"

"Never mind about that. Look," he handed it to Tony, "It's for an event at their school."

"A talent show. Well what talents do they have other than their brains and fighting?"

"Well, I heard them singing the other day. They were pretty good."

"We should make them do it," Clint said. "They could have stafe fright. Do you know how awsome that would be?"

Tony rolled his eyes while Steve glared slightly.

"Why?" He asked.

"Blackmail. Duh," Hawkeye scoffed. Alex fidgeted in her sleep and rolled over onto her stomach, pitting her feet in Clint's lap. He groaned as a few of her claws dug into his side. Axel was curled in a ball on his side, his head on the arm rest. His face was scrunched up, as if in pain. Alex just groaned slightly, her claws digging into Hawkeye a tiny bit more. He let out a silent groan.

"What do you think their nightmare is about?" Tony asked. Steve shrugged.

"It could be anything. Even memories."

* * *

_The twins groaned as they pulled against their restraints, trying to break them, but it was no ise. They were meant to hold two Hulks._

_"Stop it!" Alex sobbed, tears streaming in her fur. Ringleader just smiled. "You're killing them!"_

_Ringleader stopped twisting the alien knife into one of the students. A boy spliced with a rabbit._

_"I'm killing them? Physically, yes, but only because you wouldn't. You actually cared about these worthless science experiments. These six were all a test, to see if you could train an army like I have trained you. You passed and failed."_

_"They're not worthless experiments, they're actual people!" Axel yelled._

_"You two are supposed to be perfect soldiers, ruling this world and many more at my side, along with the Skrull Empire. Quit sniffling like such babies. It's unbecoming of a living weapon to do so."_

_They tried to stop, because to them, it was like showing weakness. They were helpless, and couldn't do anything to help them, no matter how hard they tried._

* * *

_"No! What are you doing?" Alex asked, as Ringleader forced her head down on the cold, metal table. Axel was in the same position on the other side of the room._

_"Just some precautions. After I'm done you'll never cry again. Now quit squirming," Ringleader replied with a sickening grin, "This will be extremely painful."_

* * *

_Axel shivered as he curled up in a ball. At least, he thought he was shivering. He couldn't feel anything in the pitch black room. The Box deprived him of all of his senses. Alex was in one across the room. One thing was for sure. _

_Ringleader went overboard when it came to punishment._

_His eyes still hurt from having his tear glands taken out. They knew Ringleader was awful, but now she was way past the point of cruel and unusual Punishment. The worst part was the waiting. He never knew if he was there for a few minutes, hours, or even days. It was unbearable._

_All of a sudden the doors burst open with a loud squeak, making Axel yell out in pain and cover his ears. The light was blinding to him, and it was equally extremely painful. His head throbbed._

_He wanted to end it. And so did Alex._

* * *

"Should we wake them up? Tony asked as the twins became more restless. "I'm kind of enjoying this."

Clint gave him a death glare as Alex pulled her feet in, scratching him slightly. He stood up.

"You, Tony," He said, pointing his finger in his face, "Are an ass."

"We established that last week, now come on," Steve said, walking over to Alex, "We have to wake them up."

Tony nodded and went over to Axel, whose breathing had turned ragged. He put his hand on Axel's shoulder to try and shake him, and Steve did the same to Alex.

Alex's eyes sprung open and she grabbed who was holding her and pushed him against the coffee table, breaking it into splinters. Axel had Tony held onto the wall by his throat. Both were breathing hard, and their eyes looked like they wouldn't be afraid of killing. But when they realized who they were holding, they instantly let go.

Steve and Tony both saw how they suddenly looked scared. Not at them, but at themselves, like they were monsters that should be locked up.

"We-we didn't mean..." Alex started, backing away slowly.

"Hey, it's fine, guys," Steve said, trying to calm them down. They shook their heads and ran outside.

"Next time we wake them up, we use Hulk, or a very, very long stick," Tony said. Steve nodded in agreement, and walked outside to talk to them, leaving Tony and Clint inside. When he got out there, he found Alex, with her knees pressed against her chest, sitting on the edge. Axel only had one knee to his chest, dangling the other one off of the building. He sat down in between them, dangling both legs off of the Avengers Tower. The twins looked away, and Steve sighed. They sat there in silence for a few minutes before the twins broke the silence.

"We're sorry. We really didn't mean to."

Steve shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. It was just a nightmare, it's-"

"-They were all memories. And no, it wasn't okay. We could have killed you and Tony."

"But you didn't. And if that's not progress I don't know what is. But...Uh...Do you wanna talk about it? The memories?"

"The first was...Well, that one is a little to personal," Axel said.

"The second is us getting our tear glands taken out. We can't cry anymore," Alex said.

"The third was..."

"The Box."

A shiver went down their spines, and it. He noticed a lot of things about them. How they were curious, yet cautious, and half the time when he touched them they would tense up or flinch away. He noticed that they weren't used to normal people. He had accepted that. He knew he couldn't help them with everything, but he could at least try. Steve rubbed the spot in between their wings.

"It'll be okay," he said.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9-Expect the Unexpected**

**Third Person:**

The twins tapped their feet impatiently, checking their watches every few seconds. They were a good twenty minutes late to the dojo, where their students were waiting.

Once the subway finally made it to their stop, they were the first ones out, sprinting outside, their school bags bouncing on their shoulders. Not like they really needed them. They had memorized the contents of each of their text books. They just held some drawing stuff.

"Oh, shit," Alex said, putting her hand on the door, "We forgot the dummies we ordered!"

"We're already late, I'll go get them. You try and get the class back on track," he said. She nodded and stood there as he went back underground for the subway before finally going in.

"Hey, guys, I am so sorry. Stuff happened down on Broadway. Axel went to go get some new equipment, so he's gonna be a little...What is that?"

Alex took off her bags and shoes and threw them in a corner before walking over to the class, who weren't even paying attention to her. They were all circling around a big black box with strange, yellow, glowing markings, along with a strange beeping. Alex picked it up.

"What the...?"

She sniffed it, and for some reason, knew exactly what it was, even if she had never seen one before.

An old memory flashed in her head. She had just woken up, and, the day she met Ringleader, who had stuck tubes and cords to their heads, letting their skulls explode with images and knowledge about everything.

"Everyone, get out!" She shouted.

"What's wrong?" Tori asked, feeling a bit panicked, "It's just a box."

"I said go! Hurry, it' about to-"

* * *

Axel lurched forward as the subway stopped. Something had gone wrong up top. He knew that because he couldn't feel his sister's thoughts or feelings in his head anymore. That meant she was either one of two thing-dead or unconscious. Which was a really bad idea. The panicking on the subway didn't help, either. And i sucked since they were literally only a few yards from the next stop.

"Everyone, calm down!" He shouted, releasing his death grip on the pole. "We need to get out. Come on!"

Everyone just sort of stared at him in utter disbelief. After all, who would believe a bratty teenager looking kid like him?

He pried the subway doors open with ease, but pretended it took effort, considering these people didn't know he was a giant fur ball when he wasn't out in public. That would make them panic even more.

He grunted slightly as he landed on the cold earth. He reached up.

"You know the drill, ladies and small children first. Especially if that lady has a baby in her belly!" he said, reaching his arms up to take some kids. Once he could physically carry no more, he told a strong man to take his place at the door to help them down while he made runs, taking them to the platform and back. They did that until the entire subway was empty, and then Axel helped that man and his kid up to the platform. He himself stayed on the ground. The man looked at him with a worried expression.

"Hey, what's wrong? Come on, we gotta go!"

"I gotta go to my sister, she's hurt!"

He turned to run off, but as he did, the man hopped down and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, man. You pretty much saved everyone here."

"It was nothing to difficult."

The man just scoffed and pulled him into a hug, trying to hold back tears.

"Ge get her, man. Make sure she's safe."

Axel nodded, and ran off.

Thanks to his screwed up anatomy, he could run extremely fast for extremely long periods of time, so it only took him a few minutes to get to where he had boarded, climb the platform, and go outside, where there was ash and soot hanging heavily in the air. How long did it take to help those people? Probably a while, considering there were fire trucks, squad cars, and the Avengers. Axel coughed and went over to them.

"Hey, what happened?" He asked, his panic growing by the second. He was worried. Not only about Alex, but about the kids, too. It happened again. They let it happen again. The only reason he wasn't on his knees was because he had to much adrenaline running through him. They were okay, right? They had to be. Iron Man and Captain America turned around as he ran towards them, at a loss of words.

"Is Alex with you?" Steve asked. Axel shook his head, and Tony put a hand on his shoulder.

"We need you to turn into your hairy self right about ow. No one is watching, and there;s to much god damn smoke," He said. Axel nodded and took of his necklace.

"I'm gonna go look for Alex in the rubble," He said. Before he could run off again, he saw Widow coming towards them, a person around her shoulders.

It was Alex.

It was hard to tell, but it was also kind of obvious that Alex was missing her left arm. She groaned slightly and set her down on a stretcher.

"Nice of you to finally show up. Where were you?" Natasha asked.

"Underground, helping the passengers on the subway."

No one said anything about the subject after that. They only focused on helping Alex, who was slowly coming through. Axel could feel her thoughts again, but they were foggy, and scattered. He couldn't tell what was what. At least until a black box with yellow symbols floated through his mind. He stopped spinning the bandages around her stub, his face ashen.

"Axel? Axel, what's wrong?" Cap asked.

"Ringleader did this. She freakin' did it again," He said through grit teeth. He felt the need to cry, but he couldn't. Yet another thing Ringleader had taken from him. Neither he nor Alex was really the talkative type, and crying was how they always let it out. But now they just had to bottle it up and let it sit. They hated it.

"What do you mean 'again?'" Iron Man asked, his voice getting hard.

"I'll explain later. Here, take Alex back to the Tower, I can properly take care of her there. Right now I need to dig out my students."

Axel handed Alex to Hulk, who nodded and leaped away.

He ran over to the rubble, ignoring the protests of the officers, and began lifting pieces of the wall and ceiling that no normal man could. He threw them to the side, trying to find all of them, but he hadn't been there like Alex. he didn't know which ones were absent and which ones weren't.

Axel didn't know how many bodies he found, and how many were alive or dead. Ho only stopped because he had made it to the normal ground, where here were torn up mats. He choked on a sob and fell to his knees, putting his head in his hands, but not actually crying.

For the first time in a long time, he wanted to die again.

* * *

When Alex fully woke up, and actually stayed awake, it had been two days. She knew that because JARVIS had old her. She groaned and sat up, trying to untangle herself from her blankets with her left arm. She could feel it moving, but when she looked down, it wasn't there. That fact barely even registered as she got out with her right arm and limped down, out of the infirmary and into the elevator. She could feel Axel's thoughts, but they were dormant, which meant he was asleep. Or at least half asleep. It would be a miracle if they were ever going to have a full twelve hours again.

When Alex finally made it to the living room, everything and everyone was out of character. Tony sat with Bruce, having several cups of alcohol and coffee, while Steve sat on the couch with Natasha and Clint, just staring off into space, and Thor was leaning against the wall. No one was talking.

Steve looked up from nowhere and forced a smile at Alex, who didn't return it. She had smiled when she taught. She would never teach again.

"I...I take it I owe you an explanation about who did it," She said. Tony waved her off.

"Axel already did, with your bunny fish friends," He said, his words getting slurred and slow. Alex's face hardened as the others nodded. Thor punched the wall.

"This Ringleader of yours is one of the biggest tyrants I have heard of in the day of age," He said. Alex nodded.

"Tell me about it. I had to live with her for...Uh...Six years? Seven years?Something like that. It's always hard to tell the time of day when you're underground with no clocks."

Alex groaned slightly as she sat down next to Steve, feeling something under her shirt. She lifted it up to find her entire torso tightly bandaged, and couldn't help but feel like she belonged for a moment. When they had been with Ringleader and they got hurt this badly, they just had to deal with it. No bandages, disinfectant, nothing. She sighed and put her shirt back down.

"I know you guys have like, this rule about not killing or something, but I'm gonna break that rule next time I see her."

"I seeecond that," Stark said.

"We're not killing anybody until you're sober, Stark."

Everyone but Natasha and Alex turned around to see Fury, his hands behind his back, his one eye staring down at them.

"Hey," Alex said, leaning her head on the back of the couch, eyes closed.

"You don't seem very surprised to see me," Fury stated.

"A giant alien bomb goes off at a dojo that I taught at, only weeks after we came out of the sewers, and after you sent a squad to take care of us. How is her wrist doing, by the way?"

"That's the problem."

Alex opened her eyes and stood up to face Fury. She could have sworn his eye widened ever so slightly at the sight of her missing limb.

"What do you mean?"

"We sent a squad down to check out where you came from about a week after you started living here."

Alex's eyes widened with anger, and she moved mechanically to Fury, pinning him against the wall by his shirt. Natasha's hand went to her gun.

"You what?" She hissed. "Do you want your precious soldiers to die? You sent them on a suicide mission, what the hell is wrong with you?! They could already be dead!"

"I am aware of that. That's why I need your help, specifically. You and your brother."

Alex let go and let him drop to his feet, anger pulsing through her.

"You should have at least tried to ask us before you went and did your own thing. Axel and I barely survived that place. If they are still alive, they won't be the same coming back."

"If I remember correctly, you're the one who broke Hill's wrist."

"After she shot me. I was getting even. Now can we please stop trying to measure dicks and figure out a plan?! I'm pretty sure mine is bigger anyway."

"We can when you get your arm back."

Alex snarled at Fury and turned on her heel.

"And where are you going?" Clint asked.

"I'm gonna go get my arm back."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10-Purpose**

**Alex:**

It had been a few weeks since what we referred to as Death Day happened bore we actually got to work on a plan. We wanted to wait until after the funerals, but in between that time, Axel and I built a prosthetic for me. It had a built in defense in case anyone tried taking the arm off, and it was water proof. Stark was nice enough to add an MP# player in it, so all I had to do was stick a pair of headphones in and I was good. It reminded Steve of Bucky, and in retrospect, we really should have expected it since it was the same exact style, but to fit me instead of a grown man. Then we got started on a plan.

We had figured they would all go down there, Axel, me,, Cap, and Widow doing recon while Stark and Hulk were the brawn, and Hawkeye was the look out for when we stormed the place. Stark and Banner would free everyone while the we fought Ringleader.

But that was just the plan we had made with the Avengers. Axel and I had our own plan, and we were working on it right now. Step one was a JARVIS mod, so when they left the front doors closed when they went out, the building would become on lock down, so the Avengers couldn't get out for a long while. Hopefully long enough for us to go underground and take her down without them getting hurt. They helped us when no one else would, made the bad thought go away. They picked us up and breathed new life into us. We owed them.

This was the only way we knew how.

They wouldn't have to fight our battles, they wouldn't have to worry about us, they wouldn't have to worry about Ringleader,or anyone else getting hurt because of us. Maybe, if they let us, we would be able to go, and they would live their lives like they did before they met us.

Wait. If they let us? When did I start thinking like that? I never tried to take permission for anything. With Ringleader you never got a choice. It was either follow orders or get tortured.

We knew she didn't want us to die. She never let us, no matter how hard we tried. When she blew up the dojo, she was taking a risk. It was by sheer luck that I survived. She was nervous, desperate, even. She didn't want her precious weapons roaming around without a leash.

I growled as my fur caught on fire again. That was the third time, and it was getting annoying. By the time I was done rewiring the system my fur wouldn't be that lovely red-orange color anymore.

"Aaannd done," I said, putting in the last screw on the control board. A second later something soft hit the back of my head. I turned around.

"Try that on," he said taking off his blue shirt and putting on a white one that had his half of the Yin-Yang on the chest. I nodded and took the black tank top to the other room to change. When I was done, we went to the kitchen to get the sharpest knives Stark had, and stuffed then in our boots.

"Ready?" I asked, putting on a pair of white fingerless gloves. Axel nodded and put on a pair of black ones.

"Let's do it."

**Third Person:**

"Man of Iron," Thor said. Tony was asleep on the couch. The Avengers stood around him, wanting him to wake up.

"Hold on, I got it," Clint said, grabbing his air horn. He put it directly next to Tony's ear and let it blow. Tony's eyes flew open and he sat flew up, almost falling off the couch as he did so.

"What the hell? Why are you all suited up?"

"The twins left, and they locked us in," Natasha said, crossing her arms over her chest. Stark's eyes widened.

"What? Why? When?"

"Three hours ago, and we don't know why. They're probably still working with Ringleader."

"I don't buy that. She made Alex lose an arm," Steve said.

"If Alex is even her real name."

"Uh, Tony chose it, remember? Besides, they said when we met then that their names weren't even real names. They were 23 and 24," Bruce said.

"And they could have also been lying."

"Then let's go search their rooms, because I don't buy that for one second," Cap said. He walked towards the elevator, not caring if anyone followed him or not.

He had taken care of them, along with the others. He had even adopted them just so they could go to school. He cared for them like a father. He wasn't ready to let them go. He wasn't ready to believe that all of the gratitude Alex and Axel had given them was fake.

He decided to check Axel's room first.

Inside, everything was completely spotless, which was unusual for a boy his age. Then again, he was no normal boy. On his pillow was a note.

_Dear Avengers,_

_Alex and I wanted to thank you, but, as you probably already know, we suck ass at all of that mushy shit . Anyway, don't panic or anything. Doing this bought us time so you wouldn't go looking for us. This is our fight, not yours. And Steve, if you're the one reading this, thanks for being the closest thing we have to a dad. We never thought we would actually have one,and we can't express how grateful we are. Anyway, the reason this is all mushy feeling is because we might not be coming back anytime soon. Ringleader has to pay, though. _

_So thanks._

_-Animal and Creature_

_P.S.-Like the code names? I'm Creature and Alex is Animal. We came up with them the other day_

_P.P.S.-We stole all of your cutting knives. Sorry about that, but we're not really big fans of guns_

_P.P.P.S- Tell Natasha none of this is a lie. We would never do that to you guys. To SHIELD, maybe, but only because they're dicks._

Steve couldn't help but smirk slightly at the end of the note. It was one hundred percent accurate. But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit helpless. They had no idea where the twins had gone, or if they would ever come back.

Behind him Clint cleared his throat, and Cap turned around, handing him the note. He smirked and handed it to Stark. Tony whistled.

"They have not only a way with words, but also a very valid point. SHIELD really is a bunch of dicks. No offense to Nat or anything."

"What about me?" Clint said.

"You? You really are a dick. Now let's get out of here. Widow, hack the satellites to see where they went while I fix JARVIS. We have to hurry, I don't want to miss the boss fight."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11-Unneeded Nightmares**

**Axel:**

I grunted slightly as I hopped in the ditch, where there would be enough room for our wings and such. Way better than getting stuck in a sewer hole. That sucked ass. I sighed.

"Out of paradise and into Hell, I guess," I said. Alex nodded.

"Tell me about it."

I chuckled slightly, but it wasn't long before we began walking into the sewers. We didn't know them like the back of Alex's new hand like you'd expect. The fact that we found a sewer hole so quickly while escaping was just luck.

I pulled out a flash light and one of the knives we stole, holding it with the blade pointing away from me. Alex did the same, and we walked slowly inside, only going by scent. Ringleader had to be getting in and out of the sewers without being seen as her true, ugly, green self. Heck, Hulk was more good looking than her. Hell, even Clint. And hat was saying something, because Clint was a tiny bit on the fugly side. Well, to us, anyway. We lived with the guy.

No. We used to live with him. Along with Steve, and Tony, and Thor, and Bruce, and Natasha. I was going to miss them, and thinking about it made my chest hurt. I could tell Alex felt the same way. We thought of them like friends, family, even. This was hard for us as much as it was for them, if they even cared about us leaving. But Steve did go through all of the pain to adopt us, just so we could go to school and be normal. I enjoyed having the idea of a father figure in my life. It was nice, comforting. I didn't think we had ever had one before, so we just considered him the first one. They rest were just really bad ass uncles.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Alex said, turning a corner. I followed her. "I'm kinda gonna miss 'em."

"Yeah. But hey, at least you got a souvenir, right?"

I saw Alex glance at her arm and shrug.

"Well, it's one hell of one. Now come on, I think we go this way."

"You were fools to come back."

**Third Person:**

"Did you finish, yet?" Steve asked Tony as he was zapped yet again.

"I have to hand it to them-they are good. Just not good enough."

A few sparks later and all of the Tower's defenses went down. Steve let out a sigh of relief and pulled his mas over his head.

"Has Widow finished with the satellites, yet?"

Steve pursed his lips and nodded. They had gone back into the sewers, to either join Ringleader, or kill her. Either way, there was gonna be blood shed. In these kinds of situations, it was bound to happen. He couldn't help but be worried about them. Stark clapped his hands and sighed, his eyes turning hard. He stood up and put on his helmet.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go Avenging."

* * *

Ringleader dodged one of Axel's punches, grabbing his fist and pinning him against the wall by his throat. Alex grit her teeth and lunged, but didn't make it very far. Ringleader had taken out her whip and it had hit Alex in the face. Blood blurred her vision, and she stumbled back slightly, clutching her left eye. She growled in frustration, lunging again. This time she dodged the whip, and managed to graze Ringleaders arm with her knife. She didn't even flinch.

Axel, who was having a difficult time breathing at the moment, brought his feet up and kicked Ringleader in her torso, making her stumble back and drop him. He coughed slightly, and she sneered and straightened up.

"You really think you can beat me? Who do you think trained you? Gave you limitless knowledge about the universe?"

"You forget the tiny details, like killing a bunch of kids," Axel said, coming at her left while Alex ran to her right.

"And taking away my arm. This isn't just personal. It's for everyone you've ever hurt."

"You vile creature. I should have just killed you with the other spliced."

"Hey, in case you haven't noticed, I'm Creature. She's Animal. And you say you know us."

"Of course, you probably couldn't notice some Starkasm if it hit you in the face," Alex said, keeping Ringleader to her right. Her left eye was swolen shut, and she was pretty sure she was now blind in that eye, but she tried not to think about that as Ringleader kicked her in the face so hard she saw stars. She always forgot that Ringleader taught them everything they knew, but not everything she herself knew. It was taking its toll on the twins.

Axel grunted as Ringleader's hands formed into brass knuckles, making her impacts mote firm and effective. She didn't stop punching him until he fell to the ground. Then she took out a tazer, first getting Axel, then Alex, sending them into unconsciousness.

* * *

Hill rubbed her knees nervously as Ringleader opened the door, dragging those siblings that broke her wrist by their ankles. She didn't know whether to be a tiny bit satisfied or more upset than she already was.

She watched Ringleader closely as she deposited them on the ground next to her and went into the other room. The same room she heard her squad's tortured screams from as they died. She was unable to do anything about it.

In the end, she decided to feel more upset, as she looked down at their beaten bodies. They had saved her from execution. At least for a little bit. Not only that but the girl now had a metal arm, and her face was covered in blood. No doubt Ringleader's doing.

But above all else, she felt sorry for them. This had been,and still apparently was, their life. Their life was literally a living Hell.

A few minutes later, Ringleader came in with a couple of muzzles and straitjackets, putting the twins in them with expert movement, despite the wings. Then she took the girl and took her into one of the rooms that Ringleader called the box. Hill had experienced that.

Never again.

When she was done with the girl, she came back for the boy. That's when she realized that if the twins were here, the Avengers were probably close behind.

They might not die.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12-A Little Help**

**Third Person:**

When Alex woke up, she was terrified. She didn't know which way was up. She couldn't see or feel, or hear anything. She squeezed her eyes shut. Or at least, she thought she did. Her brain told her to, but she wasn't sure if her body picked up the message.

Then she remembered the fight with Ringleader. They had barely scratched her. Ringleader had never shown so much power before. Not around them, anyway.

Then the Avengers rolled into her head. They had stalled them so they wouldn't follow, but now, she was regretting it. Ringleader was going to kill them before they got here. Well, if she didn't choose the slow torture option. If so, the Box was the first step. Then, when all of your senses were still raw, she beat you senseless, doing anything to hurt your senses and make you completely bonkers.

_"Hey, Axel?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I miss them."_

_"Yeah. So do I. You never really realize how much you have until it's gone, right?"_

_"Tell me about it. Do you think they're coming?"_

_"Without a doubt."_

* * *

Ringleader scowled as the security screen showed the Avengers coming in. That was the last thing she needed. Why did they have to to them? The Avengers, of all people. She found it extremely ironic that they were made to kill them, but befriended them instead. It was just an annoyance now.

They would be taken care of soon.

* * *

The Avenger's plan was to infiltrate Ringleader's base, completely unknown to her. Or, at least they hoped. Steve and Natasha were going to find the twins while Clint looked for the SHIELD agents, and the others distracted Ringleader. That is, if she wasn't dead, and something had gone terribly wrong with the twin's plan.

"Iron Man," Cap said, kneeling down, "This is blood right here. And some fur over here."

"Damn it. Well, at least we're going the right way, am I right?"

"You are most certainly wrong."

They all whirled around to see who they assumed was Ringleader. She had green skin, black hair, and yellow eyes. She dressed like a ringmaster from a circus, along with a simple black mask on her face. She put a hand on her hip.

"You did come here to stop me, did you not?"

Cap's grip on the leather straps of his shield tightened. He glanced over at Nat, who nodded ever so slightly. Then the Avengers rushed her all at once, but instead of attacking, Widow and Cap jumped over her and ran past her, content on finding the twins.

They ran until they were sure they were a good ways away, following the small blood trail to where her base was.

Judging by how fast they had been running, it didn't take more than a few minutes to get there. But they didn't exactly like what they saw.

When they burst through the well hidden door, they saw Agent Hill restrained against a wall. She was in pretty bad shape. She had cuts and bruises everywhere, and her hair was a mess, clothes torn to shreds. Her eyes were wide, and for the first time since they met, they showed fear. Cap quickly ran over to help her, busting the restraints with his shield. She fell to the ground and coughed, rubbing her aching wrists.

"You okay?" Widow asked.

"Doesn't matter. Are the siblings with fur good?"

"As far as we know," Cap answered. Hill nodded and stood up.

"I know where she took them. But you have to be really quiet."

"Why?"

"She put them in that dark room where you can't feel anything. Extremely painful when you come out."

"She put you in the Box?" Widow asked. Hill pursed her lips and nodded, going down a couple more halls before she came to a hall that had two large, metal doors across the hall from each other. Hill motioned for Steve to take the one on the right while she and Widow took the one on the left.

He opened the door slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible. When the door squeaked he heard a groan from inside, and some struggling. He only opened the door half way so it wouldn't squeak anymore. Another groan, more quiet this time. He peeked his head in.

Alex hung there, upside down by her ankles. She had a muzzle and straitjacket on. Her eyes were squeezed shut, one of them swollen, and her ears were pressed flat against her head. She was trembling, and trying every now and then to get out of the straitjacket. Steve felt a bubbling anger in him. No one should be treated so cruelly.

Alex sneezed, causing her to swing back and forth, making her wince and groan. Cap shushed her, and she opened her good eye ever so slightly.

He moved in front of her so the light wouldn't be in her eyes, being as slow and quiet as possible.

"We're here," he whispered, so low he could barely hear himself. Alex nodded slightly, going completely still to make it easier for him to undo everything.

"Uh, this might hurt a little but," Steve said. He couldn't get her down without breaking the chains, and he needed to use his shield to do that. So he did, and she landed with a thud, sending out immense pain to her entire body. She whimpered slightly, and Steve quickly whispered an apology.

First he took the muzzle off so she could breathe a little better, and then borrowed a small knife from Hill and slashed the jacket, setting her torso free. They walked out and met Axel, Widow, and Hill in the hall. Axel popped his knuckles while Alex popped her neck, and without saying anything, started walking down the hall.

They walked slow, their figures gliding down the hall with ease, until they made it back to Ringleader, who had just socked Hulk in the face. The twins clenched their fists in anger. They snarled.

Alex took Cap's shield while Axel jumped on it, launching himself at Ringleader, throwing Alex back a few feet. If Cap had been in her place, he would have fallen on his back.

Ringleader grabbed Axel's ankle and threw him against the wall, making an Axel-sized hole. He let out a cry of pain.

While Ringleader had been doing that, Alex had run up behind her and jumped, grabbing her head in between her legs and sending her face to the ground. Thor smirked, rubbing his neck slightly.

"Ha!" Hawkeye cried, "You just got schooled!"

Hulk stood up and roared, making everything tremble. He hit the ground with his fists and charged as Ringleader started to get up.

Hulk rammed his shoulder into Ringleader's back, sending her a few feet deeper into the ground. She groaned from under him. When he stood up, Ringleader groaned a little more, unable to move because of all of her broken bones.

"Nice, dude ," Alex said. Hulk snuffed.

"Well, only a few things to do now," Axel said. Everyone but Hulk looked confused.

"What do you mean?" Thor asked.

"Well, Ringleader has never been in the Box. Now is the perfect time."

"Are we just gonna leave her here?" Cap asked. Alex scoffed.

"We are. Hill can make sure she gets picked up by Fury. Right now, I just wanna sleep. Sort of. Ish."

With that both of the twins climbed on the Hulk and sat on each of his shoulders. He surprisingly didn't really mind as he just started walking out. Tony smirked and took of his helmet.

"They're not half bad, are they?" He said. Steve shook his head.

"They most certainly aren't."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13-Happy(ish) Endings**

**Third Person:**

Alex looked over her shoulder, gun in hand, her back to the wall. She was tense, alert, keeping her right eye open a little more than usual. Ringleader and her stupid whip made her blind in her other all those months ago. She had gotten used to the arm, too. She glanced over at Axel, who gripped his gun a little tighter, giving her a tiny nod.

It was all or nothing.

They simultaneously jumped from there spots, giving out battle cries, shooting Clint in the back with the Nerf darts. He pretended to die, and flopped on the couch, is tongue sticking out of his mouth. The twins smirked and blew invisible smoke from their guns. Then they got back on their battle stances as they heard someone coming from the hall. When he finally showed his face, they fired.

It was Steve. He now had two Nerf darts sticking form his forehead. He sighed and pulled them off, glaring at the twins.

"Alex. Axel. What did I tell you about shooting me in the face?"

"To not to. But it keeps you on your toes, right, _Daddy Dearest," _they said in unison. He rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"Got any more guns?" He asked. Alex took Clint's and tossed it to him. Clint let out a cry of protest, and Axel nudged him with his foot.

"You're dead, shut up," he said. Steve chuckled and cocked his gun.

"Let's go get Stark."

* * *

"Hey, twins!" Stark called in a sing song voice. They didn't look up at him. He frowned and waved his hand in front of their faces. They didn't even flinch.

"What?" they sighed.

"Coome out in the balcony," He replied. Axel closed his book and stood up, following Alex and Tony outside.

"What is it, Tony?" he asked. He turned around with a huge smile.

"Okay, you come right here, get down on one knee, and-"

"-I am not going to propose to you or my sister."

"Perv," Alex huffed. Tony turned kinda red.

"No, I wasn't going to have you do that. Alex, come over here and put your hand right here on his shoulder. Okay, perfect," He said, taking a few steps back from them. He smiled and took out his camera, snapping a picture before they could protest or move. They groaned at the flash.

"Okay, Satan, calm down," Alex said, clutching her good eye.

"Seriously, man. The flash? You had to get the camera with the flash? That shit hurts."

Stark shrugged.

"Deal with it, Twin Heroes."

"What?" They asked in unison, sharing a look of confusion.

"That's what the internet is calling you. It has a nice ring to it, actually."

The twins just shrugged.

"Yeah. Now let's try and get Thor drunk."


End file.
